Sunday, May 3, 2015

Slow Day Around Here

Well, the title doesn't really tell the story of our day here in Boulder City.  We started off with Gerry making a couple of her great breakfast burritos.  She was almost finished preparing them when it dawned on her that we didn't have any salsa.  Off I went to the local Vons for salsa and I wandered all over the store trying to find it.  I did arrive back in time to enjoy the burritos.

The Elks Lodge was having a mint julips special for the Kentucky Derby and since we never miss the Derby if we can help it, we decided to check it out.  They also had Kentucky Burgoo Stew as part of the special.  We skipped the stew and enjoyed a beer for me and an unusual mint julip for Gerry.  It wasn't anything like she's had in the past, but she managed to finish it off.


Gerry's horse, American Pharoah was the winner and my horse Dortmund came in 3rd.  We had a nice time at the Lodge and decided to go back to the Lake Mead area once again.

We drove through the security checkpoint and headed for the Arizona side of the dam in order to take some nice photos.  My Android phone can pan an area to create a wide angle photo.  I tried it out so I could get the new bridge and the water behind the dam in the photo.  The bridge is in the upper left side of the photo.


 As mentioned in a previous post, the water level had dropped to record low.  You really have to see it to comprehend how low the water level is.  It is quite an eye opener.


 The top of the white ring is where the water level used to be in the past and is about150 ft down. 

Ring on the tub.

It looks like the 1st ladder was an optimistic view, while the second ladder was also optimistic.  Make sure you watch the last step before you step on the platform.  It's time for another ladder if they want to continue to reach the boat.

Watch your step.

 It is possible to walk out onto the new bridge and get a beautiful view of the dam and the area around it.  There is a walkway that is separate from where the cars are, so it's a safe walk.  The walk up from the parking lot is very steep and is a good distance from the bridge.  Since it was in the mid 90s, we decided to pass on this hike.


 The overlook on the way out of the area has a spectacular view of a marina.  The ramp/road to the marina is about .5 mile down to the water.  The white buildings on the left are a campground and used to be on the water's edge.  Now it is a good hike down to the lake.


We stopped at the Hoover Dam Lodge and Casino so Gerry could get her slot machine fix for the day.  It looks like it's fairly new and not that big.  The casino is about 150ft x 150ft square and nicely laid out.  Gerry and I donated about $25 to the casino and then decided to head back to Boulder City for dinner.  

There were a number of classic cars in the parking lot, along with a number of motorcycles.   The motorcyle riders were from Germany and on a 3,000 mile tour of the southwest on rented bikes.  The tour leaders had a van pulling a trailer with liquid refreshments and other necessities for the trip.

Back to the cars.  I love the old ones and would like to have a fully restored one that didn't need any work done to it.  It sure is an expensive hobby.






The Spring Jamboree event is this weekend and downtown Boulder City was jumping.  Spring Jamboree   We managed to find a parking space in front of the Boulder Dam Brewpub and wound up sitting inside since all the tables outside were taken.  They have a sampler serving of 6 different beers in 5 oz glasses.  We ordered one and also a bratwurst sandwich and a roast beef sandwich.  The sandwiches were the highlight of the meal and we thoroughly enjoyed them.  A couple beers were ok, but I don't think we will stop there again in the future unless it is for the food.


 
We had a great time for a slow day and wore ourselves out completely.  It was a nice evening and we sat outside and enjoyed the nice temps.  Perfect ending to the day.

That was our day, how was yours?

1 comment:

  1. Somehow you're slow down makes our days look like they are standing still. We did make it to the store for a few groceries. That's about it. I meant to tell you - there is a small museum there in town about the building of the dam which we all thought was really good. And it was only $3. Jim would really like to have a 39 Chevy street rod that is all restored. He really doesn't need another project.

    ReplyDelete